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Social Network Analysis in R: A Software Review

Author

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  • Samrachana Adhikari

    (Harvard Medical School)

  • Beau Dabbs

    (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory)

Abstract

In education research, social network analysis is being widely used to study different interactions and their overall implications. Recently, there has also been a surge in the development of software tools to implement social network analysis. In this article, we review two popular R packages, igraph and statnet suite, in the context of network summarization and modeling. We discuss different aspects of these packages and demonstrate some of their functionalities by analyzing a friendship network of lawyers. Finally, we end with recommendations for using these packages along with pointers to additional resources for network analysis in R.

Suggested Citation

  • Samrachana Adhikari & Beau Dabbs, 2018. "Social Network Analysis in R: A Software Review," Journal of Educational and Behavioral Statistics, , vol. 43(2), pages 225-253, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:jedbes:v:43:y:2018:i:2:p:225-253
    DOI: 10.3102/1076998617729685
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